Tuesday 15 January 2013

How to Write an SOP

When you write an SOP, take care to mention the following :

1. What influenced you to take up the particular subject.What inspired you to pursue masters' in that particular field and why you chose that particular university.

2. Why that subject

3. What motivated you for this line of study

4. Why you should be a part of the program.

5. Skills, Achievements/ Accomplishments, scores

6. Technical knowledge

7. A good SOP will be clear and concise. Don't make it too lengthy. Two pages max.

8. Avoid getting too emotional. Adjectives like thrill, passion, excitement, joy, etc., should be avoided like the plague.   Explain what you expect from grad school. Of course, we all want a job, but try putting it down as politically correctly as you can.

9. Describe your experience. In brief... Don't pull out all stops and start from when you took your baby steps... highlight only the milestones.

10.Market yourself with concrete statistics. If you say your the rebirth of Einstein in the field of  Physics, I wont believe it myself, neither will the Prof's in the Dept.

11.Specify details of the projects you have worked on, related to the intended area of study.

12. Be precise and honest.

A conclusion paragraph at the end that demonstrates what you learned from your life experiences, field of study and your future plans. Don't give weak excuses for low GPA, GRE / TOEFL score. Don't use flowery language.The information given should not be inconsistent.

These are some general guidelines. You need not make your SOP just like the samples you see online. You can be creative and unique, but just make sure these specific details are also included. Basically an SOP is a personal statement of who you are, so as much as you can, do it yourself.

1 comment:

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